Stocks Struggle to a Mixed Finish on Wall Street

Stocks struggled to a mixed finish on Wall Street but with enough lift to set more record highs for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrials, the AP reports. Major indexes had been higher at midday Wednesday but took a stumble in the early afternoon following a report that trade talks with China had hit a snag. Banks and industrial stocks did the worst. Safe-play sectors like utilities and makers of consumer products rose. Wells Fargo fell 1.7% while Procter & Gamble rose 1.2%. The S&P 500 rose 2 points, or 0.1%, to 3,094. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 92 points, or 0.3%, to 27,783. The Nasdaq closed down 3 points, less than 0.1%, to 8,482. Small-company stocks fell. (More stock market stories.)